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Neuroanatomy > Spinal Cord Anatomy and Ascending and Descending Pathways > Flashcards

Spinal Cord Anatomy and Ascending and Descending Pathways Flashcards

1
Q

What do somatosensory afferents and motor efferents to skeletal muscle travel by?

A

Spinal cord

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2
Q

Spinal cord function

A

Receives 1o afferent fibres from peripheral receptors
Sends motor axons to skeletal muscle
Communications between brain and periphery
Preganglionic neurons of SYM and some of PSYM

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3
Q

How many spinal nerves does the spinal cord produce?

A

31

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4
Q

What are the enlargements associated with?

A 
Cervical = upper limb
Lumbar = lower limb
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5
Q

What occurs at each segment?

A

Rootlets from dorsal and ventral produce ant and post rootlets
Passing through subarachnoid space until reach vertebral formina
Post root is enlarge by dorsal root ganglion
Fuse = mixed spinal nerve= ant and post rami

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6
Q

What is the spinal cord continuous with?

A

Medulla below foramen magnum

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7
Q

Tapered cone shape spinal cord terminates as?

A

Conus medularis

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8
Q

What does the conus medularis continue as?

A 
Filum terminale (thin CT) 
Anchored to dorsum of coccyx
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9
Q

Where does the spinal cord end?

A

L1 (L2 at birth)

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10
Q

Where is the dural spinal cord and what does it include?

A

Below L1

Dorsal and ventral roots of L2 and lower nerves of filum terminale

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11
Q

What is the collection of roots of the filum terminale called?

A

Cauda equina

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12
Q

Where does the dural sac end?

A

S2
Dorsal and ventral roots pass out of the sack, remain in dura and travel in spinal canal now in CSF of subarachnoid space

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13
Q

How are the spinal cord meninges continuous with the cranial meninges?

A

Foramen magnum

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14
Q

What is the spinal cord suspended by?

A

Denticulate ligament

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15
Q

How is the denticulate ligament formed?

A

From pial and arachnoid tissue

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16
Q

Dorsal and ventral roots in IVC and dura and arachnoid mater merge with

A

CT around the nerve

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17
Q

Where is the white mater located on the spinal cord?

A

Outside

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18
Q

Where is the grey mater located on the spinal cord?

A

Inner H

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19
Q

What does the white mater consist of?

A

Longitudinal axons
Glial cells
Blood vessels

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20
Q

What does the grey mater consist of?

A 
Neuronal soma
Cell processes
Synapses
Glia
Blood vessels
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21
Q

Where does the small central canal running the length of the spinal cord open and close?

A

Rostral - opens into 4th ventricle

Caudal - blind ending - medulla?

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22
Q

What occurs if there is damage to the white mater?

A

No more communication below that level

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23
Q

What occurs if there is damage to the grey mater?

A

Damage/paralysis in band that is damdaged

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24
Q

Where is grey mater greatest?

A

Cervical and lumbar enlargements

25
Q

Where is white mater greatest?

A

Cervical levels and less at caudal levels

26
Q

Where is the lateral horn/intermediolateral cell group?

And what does it contain?

A

T1-L2
Preganglionic SYM neurons
SYM outflow

27
Q

Where is the PSYM outflow?

A

Above and below SYM outflow

28
Q

How are rexed laminae defined?

A

Cell size
Shape
Density

29
Q

Lamina I

A

Lamina marginalis

large diameter afferents synapse here

30
Q

Lamina II

A

Substantia gelatinosa

Pain fibres here

31
Q

Lamina III

A

Part of substantia genlatinosa and nucleus proprius

Afferents

32
Q

Lamina IV

A

Part of nucleus proprius

dendrites of tract cells

33
Q

Lamina V and VI

A 
Base of dorsal horn
Proprioceptive afferents
Motor and sensory
Movement (important in)
Tract cells = give rise to spinothalamic tract
34
Q

Lamina VII

A

Intermediate horn
Clarke’s column (T1-L2)
Proprioceptive fibres synapse
Intermediolateral column (T1-L2) = SYM preganglionic neurons

35
Q

Lamina VIII

A

Proprioceptive interneurons

36
Q

Lamina IX

A

Alpha and gamma motor neurons

37
Q

Lamina X

A

Dorsal and ventral grey commisures

38
Q

Where is the tract of Lissauer?

A

Overlying lamina I
Thin layer of white matter
Afferents (pain + temp) enter cord divide into ascending and descending branches before entering grey matter

39
Q

Arterial supply of spinal cord

A

Ant and 2 post longitudinal aa. = originate from vertebral aa. (run length of cord)
Segemental aa. - from vertebral, deep, cervical, intercostal and lumbar aa.
Radicular aa. - travel along dorsal and ventral roots

40
Q

What is the great anterior segmental medullary artery?

A

Large radial a T9-11

Supplies much of lower spinal cord

41
Q

What does the anterior spinal artery supply?

A

2/3rd of the spinal cord (cross section)

42
Q

What do longitudinal veins drain to?

A

Cerebellar veins and cranial sinuses

43
Q

What do segmental veins drain to?

A

Local vertebral plexuses then thoracic/ abdominal/ intercostal veins

44
Q

What is the epidural space occupied by?

A

Adipose tissue between bone and dura

Used in epidural anaesthesia

45
Q

Dorsal column (ascending tract)

A

Cuneate nucleus and gracile nucleus
Fine touch and conscious proprioception and vibration sense
Cross in medulla (Crossing of fibres – decusation)
Arm =CF
Leg=GF, graceful
Synapse in medulla but also in nucleus granculus=medial and nucleus cuneatus –lateral

46
Q

What is proprioception?

A

sense of the relative position of one’s own parts of the body and strength of effort being employed in movement

47
Q

Proprioception in lower limb

A

Some via the DC system. Some ascends in the DC to thoracic/upper lumbar regions
Synapses in Clarke’s column,
Projects to the medulla in the dorsal spinocerebellar tract. Then rejoins medial lemniscal system to reach thalamus and cortex.

48
Q

Other name for Clarke’s column

A

Nucleus dorsalis

49
Q

Spinothalamic tract (as. tract)

A

Pain, temp and deep pressure

Fibres cross segmentally

50
Q

Tracts cells in lamina V-VI give rise to?

A

Spinothalamic tract

51
Q

Primary somatosensory cortex and sensory cortical homunculus

A

Somatotopic organisation of neurons = mapped out
Sensory fibres crossed midline
Left side of body = right cortex

52
Q

Corticospinal tract (descending tract)

A

Control of precision and speed of skilled movements
Ridges (pyramids) on ant surface of medulla = pyramidal tract
85% fibres cross at caudal medulla - decussation of pyramids
Crossed fibres from Lat CST
Uncrossed = ventral CST - cross segmentally

53
Q

CST fibres travel in?

A

Post limb of internal capsule

54
Q

Rubrospinal tract

A

Excitory control of tone of limb flexor muscles
Originate in red nucleus of midbrain and decussate here
In lat column in SC, lat to CST
Ends in upper C spinal cord

55
Q

Tectospinal tract

A

Small tract, input from C
O in sup colliculus (tectum)
Mediate reflex movement due to visual stimuli

56
Q

Lateral Vestibulospinal Tract

A

Excitatory input to “antigravity” extensor muscles.
O in the ipsilateral vestibular nuclei of pons and medulla (these in turn receive input from vestibular apparatus and cerebellum).
Fibres do not cross

57
Q

Reticulospinal Tract

A

Reticular formation forms the central core of the brainstem - IMPORTANT
Many nuclei and receives input from virtually all parts of the CNS.
Influencing of voluntary movement.
O in areas of the reticular formation in pons and medulla.
Fibres originating in pons facilitate extensor movements and inhibit flexor movements, while those originating in the medulla do the opposite. Also, because some fibres extend to many spinal levels it is thought they may help coordinate movement involving upper and lower limbs.

58
Q

Motor system outside of pyramidal tract is the

A

Extrapyramidal system

59
Q

Brown – sequard syndrome

A

Hemisection of the spinal cord- numb to fine touch, loose pain and temp fibres on opposite side

Neuroanatomy (11 decks)

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